Tornadoes hit Tennesseans

Thousands of Tennesseans are displaced or facing prolonged power outages after a series of powerful tornadoes and storms tore through the state over the weekend, shredding hundreds of homes and killing at least six people, including a mother and her toddler.

The destruction caused by storms in Tennessee, where at least two tornadoes touched down Saturday, has prompted officials in some of the hardest-hit areas to declare local states of emergency, open shelters for displaced families and announce the closure of schools on Monday.

More than 17,000 homes and businesses were without power Monday morning in the state, where early temperatures were below freezing and are expected to remain below 50 degrees Fahrenheit through the day. By Tuesday, that number was down to around 9,000, with the majority in Montgomery County, which includes Clarksville.

Parts of Hendersonville and the Nashville-suburb Madison were slammed by a tornado with peak winds of 125 mph, according to the National Weather Service.

A single tornado traveled nearly 43 miles from the Clarksville area in Montgomery County to Logan County, cutting a path of destruction across both counties, according to the National Weather Service.

Schools were closed on Monday in Sumner County and in Montgomery County through Tuesday, the local districts announced.

Crews began clearing neighborhoods Monday morning and officials have shelters, food trucks and mobile shower units prepped or residents who need them, Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts told CNN. Pitts said he surveyed the damage Sunday.